Environment research - Left 4 Dead & Left 4 Dead 2 - smaller details

When designing a 3D environment, one must consider the smaller details. The important factor here is to pay attention to what has been overused and what has been left unexplored. Some overused smaller details do work, as well as contribute to the theme and/or storyline of the game. In Left 4 Dead (2008)& Left 4 Dead 2 (2009) there are dozens of messages scattered throughout the game in various locations, some are references to other games, popular culture, literature and finally there others such as messages to loved ones or warnings to other survivors also trapped in the horror of the zombie apocalypse. These are effective examples of smaller details because it is original, it allows the player to feel more involved in the game and it creates a more effective horror atmosphere because it makes the player feel like there has been so many people like the characters they control, that have written these messages on the wall and failed to survive, evoking feelings of anxiety and fear in the player.

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These scribblings on the wall are a reference to the Capcom title Dead Rising (2006), another zombie apocalypse-themed game highlighting two central characters Frank West - a bold photojournalist investigating the government activity surrounding the outbreak stricken Colorado town of Willamette, and Otis - the janitor whom informs you of other survivors and various findings on the security cameras via radio contact. The text reads, 'Otis, Out of film, No Helicopter. Zombies are too fast. Not Going to make it. Frank West.'

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A bible verse marked on the wall in order to highlight as well as link the religious perspective with the zombie outbreak of the storyline which reads, 'For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.'

Print screen and cropped from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGFhyIW2gQE

The text directly in the light of the players flash-light reads, 'John I'm safe I got out and I am travelling with good people. They are immune too we are going to find a super market and fortify it. We will hide until the army comes. I love you. XOXO Sharon'

This could be a possible reference to Stephen King's book The Mist (1980) in which a number of survivors are lost in a never ending mist-like fog covering everything around them, leading them to find shelter in the local supermarket to try and remain hidden from the various creatures/monsters that appear out of the never ending cloud.

What relevance does this research serve towards the development of my project and horror?

The relevance of this research is to understand the importance of smaller details in environments and how this can be used to provoke human reactions. The relevance this has to horror is understanding that the addition of smaller details creates a greater sense of realism to the environment and therefore, a more effective horror atmosphere. When developing my 3D environment this will help me focus more time and attention on smaller details to ensure more realism and a greater horror driven atmosphere.

Environment research - Batman: Arkham City - themes and shapes

In order to pave a developing road for my final project, I must first take into account the variety of designs for buildings, focusing on shape and the style in which they are constructed. Here I have elected Batman: Arkham City (2011) as my first example. This game is not classed as horror, nor is it scary however, the building designs and atmosphere of the game are something to be recognised. Some of the buildings in this game use a medieval style of design, focusing on spires, spiked fences, gargoyle perches and tall windows. This blends with the atmosphere surrounding the character of Batman, inspiring terror and fear in the hearts of his enemies - what better way to do this than link the fear created by the presence of Gotham City's dark knight with the environmental aesthetics.

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Other areas of Arkham City continue to promote this old fashioned and/or historical theme. This is achieved by using three-dimensional shapes and linking them together, creating an industrial and rustic aesthetic. A large number of the buildings in Arkham City appear badly constructed or modified, suggesting that the criminal inhabitants of the city have tried to transform the city into a vision of their own. Three gangs rule the streets of Arkham City, controlling and guarding their own territory or 'turf'. With each gang comes a different theme for example, Oswald Cobblepot (a.k.a Penguin) takes control of the museum and transforms it into a winter palace of doom; frozen museum exhibits, hostages transformed into ice cubes and even a shark in the now flooded central hall, stalking the player below a sheet of thin ice. This compliments the initial aesthetic and design of  Arkham City because it takes a large selection of buildings with a clearly outdated/old-fashioned design style and adds a more modern/up-to-date style of design on top.

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What relevance does this research have towards the development of my project and horror?

The relevance of this research is to gain more knowledge on two areas, the shape in which buildings are constructed to create a more effective atmosphere and to develop an understanding of themes because I have not yet decided a theme for my 3D environment thus, research on this topic will help me narrow down my decision and encourage me to look for examples in other genres, not just in horror. If I research themes in only horror titles, my finished 3D environment will not look very original or imaginative.

Update - setting choice

I have decided that my 3D horror environment will be an interior setting. I have not yet decided on the country to base my horror environment in however, I feel choosing a setting will help make the decision for the location easier. I have an initial idea for the interior setting - a prison

Why the change?
This choice has been made because I feel that my technical skills are much more benefited within an interior setting. I have had little or no experience on exterior settings and in hindsight, my work would be of a lesser quality based on time scaling and technical skills. I have worked on interior settings in previous years and feel much more confident in my quality in my deliverables based on this change. This new direction is also because I feel my project would benefit from a more creative approach that would also help boost the direction and initial aim of my project.

Why a prison?
The idea was random but I liked the concept of a location deemed inescapable, secure and loaded with dangerous prisoners. The idea that nobody is safe, not even the prisoners seemed like a great premise therefore, I thought it would be a great start towards visually developing an idea of what I want my interior setting to be and what I want it to look like. I don't know if this will definitely be the interior setting for my project, but I feel I have to try some ideas out in order to narrow down what I'm comfortable with designing, what I think is best for my project and how I will make the setting work within the genre of horror.
   

Supervisor meeting 2

Following the feedback from my proposal I arranged another meeting with Brian Robinson. Brian had already gone over my feedback before our meeting so getting him up to speed was not needed. The main problems with my first draft was the misunderstanding of structure, the absence of research questions and the misinterpretation of each section of the proposal as a whole.

To help me understand the structure of my proposal more efficiently, he suggested I question my area of study to a greater degree, leaving no stone unturned and to challenge every topic; why was lighting important in horror, how does colour inspire emotions and moods or what examples in film and video games are relevant to my area of study?
The next step was to take these questions and choose which ones would help break down the aims and objectives of my project, focusing on topic relevance and resources that would highlight these research questions. At first I was struggling to understand Brian's direction, telling him that I needed examples. Brian took out a blank piece of paper and asked me to choose an area of study relevant to my project. At random I chose lighting, to which he then he asked me to think of a research question, to which I responded, why is lighting relevant in promoting horror? Brian then asked me is there something I can add onto this question to reach an appropriate or definitive point, to which I added, why is lighting relevant in promoting horror and does the addition of colour make said lighting more effective?

Brian was happy that I was understanding his direction, to question the initial research questions themselves. The next step was to link these research questions to topic related resources in order to boost the effectiveness of these research questions, as well as to ensure that I was not straying off point at random tangents and instead, just answering the questions, plain and simple. With the structure and absence of research questions sorted, understanding each section of the project proposal was all that remained. The introduction was easier to understand now that the research questions were to be included in my next draft. Brian said that I should set a starting point for my literature review by highlighting the research questions and the relevance of these research questions, followed by the literature review itself which was to simply tackle each research question, link said questions to necessary resources and move onto the next research question, the key being trying to get each question to link, to flow together.

Moving onto the methodology, Brian noted that instead of detailing every step in which I would carry out my project, that I should highlight only the key steps, detailing the relevance of each method and how I would carry these out. This was not a problem as it was only a matter of separating important methods from the lesser-important. The conclusion was simplified in my mind instantly when Brian said that I just needed to sum up what I had done in almost bullet point form, I have done this, I have done that and then finally summing this paragraph up with the relevance of this research piece and any impacts or effects it may have economically, academically, scientifically, etc.
The abstract was tricky as I had too many theories and methodologies thus, confusing me to a great degree. Brian suggested I think of the abstract as a means to setting the scene, a summary, a short description and use this to almost sell or promote my proposal from an outside perspective.

This meeting was very helpful to me because it helped me tackle my second draft with greater ease and gave me a much needed confidence boost as I felt a little disheartened by the amount of feedback I received highlighting all of my careless errors. To take a step forward, I told myself to use my first draft of the proposal as a guide to understand where I had gone wrong and to take what I had learned from my meeting with Brian and use it as a means to correct my mistakes.

Proposal feedback (first draft)

The initial feedback I received for the first draft of my research proposal was vast and very detailed. Lynn Parker was very helpful in highlighting my errors as well as give me direction and/or suggestion to rectify certain errors. In all honesty I was very confident in my first draft however, upon reading all the feedback I received, I then realised my over-confidence was greatly misplaced. Here I have bullet pointed the most commonly mentioned errors within my proposal feedback:

• Opinion-based comments - no evidence to support claims
• Loose ends - topic related questions and points not fully answered or supported
• Grammar - constant incorrect use of the semi-colon
• Structure - misunderstanding the sections of the proposal

These problems were overwhelming at first glance, thankfully Lynn told me to not freak out, to read over my feedback and arrange a meeting with Brian Robinson so that he could help me understand where I had gone wrong and what I had to do in order to fix these errors.

Supervisor meeting 1

Before I started the first draft of my project proposal I needed to get things in perspective. I contacted Brian Robinson and arranged a meeting as soon as possible in order to halt my worries and eliminate my problems/concerns for the project proposal. I started off by explaining the direction of my proposal, my aims and objectives and finally the literature I had already referenced. I then went onto explain my worries which were; what does each section of the proposal require (a blunt and more simple translation), were there any areas of my study that I had neglected and what (if any) tips could he give me for the proposal as a whole?

Tackling the first issue, Brian broke down each section of the proposal in words I could understand both vocally and physically. With the sections of the project proposal more clear, we then moved onto the areas of my particular field of study that I had not yet explored or neglected. Brian took into account that I had already referenced important areas of study relevant to my project such as notorious directors of the horror genre, lighting techniques in television and the sub genre of science-fiction horror. Brian suggested I look into film theory and cinematography in order to break down and truly understand the medium of cinema, as well as to help rationalise and highlight the key elements within the genre of horror.

I then made my way to the library, picked up eight new books and started compiling more references for my project proposal.
Brian was very helpful during this meeting, however due to others in the same seat as me panicking about the project proposal, I only got so much of Brian's time as he had a laundry list of others to see.